Madden 25 will feature Barry Sanders on the cover

Barry Sanders will grace the cover of Madden 25 after a record breaking 40 million votes determined the running back worthy of the honor.

Sanders won out over famous football heroes such as Ray Lewis, Marcus Allen, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice.

I voted for Montana.

“The Madden NFL franchise has such a rich tradition and history, and there’s no better way to celebrate our 25th Anniversary than by having one of the best players of all-time on the cover,” said Anthony Stevenson, senior dfirector of marketing for EA SPORTS. “Barry Sanders has long been a fan favorite, so we’re proud to have him as the face of Madden NFL 25.”

Following the cover reveal, the first two playbooks in the Madden NFL 25 Playbook series were revealed: “Run Free” and “Infinity Engine 2.”

Additional Madden NFL 25 details will be released in the following playbooks on the following dates:

Playbook #3: Connected Franchise Part 1 (to be released 5/6) —Cement your legacy as one of the all-time great NFL players or coaches in the new and improved Connected Franchise.

Playbook #4: Connected Franchise Part 2 (to be released 5/20) — Take ultimate control of your franchise.

Playbook #5: Madden Share (to be released 6/24) — The best content from around the Madden NFL universe, right at your fingertips.

Playbook #6: Madden Ultimate Team (to be released 7/1) —Enjoy new ways to play and build your team in this year’s edition of Ultimate Team.

Playbook #7: All-25 (to be released 7/8) – Your voice. Your choice. Celebrating 25 years of Madden NFL’s best of the best.

Madden NFL 25 will be available for Xbox 360 and PS3 for $59.99 on Augusts 27, and if you pre-order through GameStop, you can get the xclusive San Francisco 49ers Franchise Pack featuring Eddie DeBartolo Jr., Bill Walsh and Joe Montana for use in Connected Franchise and Madden Ultimate Team.

So at least that’s some consolation for Montana fans.

The first official trailer for the game is below along with the packshots.